How It Should Have Ended
by FoolForSpuffy147
Summary: One among many fix fics for the HIMYM series finale. Ted/Mother, Robin/Barney, Lily/Marshall


I don't own anything. Visual narration is told in italics.

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Kids, Barney and Robin's marriage was as legendary as I said. That didn't mean that they didn't have their share of problems, though. When Robin got the chance to do international news, Barney came up with the idea to take his blog, Playbook, and the Bro Code and make it international. He became one of the biggest self-help writers, touring with Robin promoting his self-published books.

2015

"Just promise that you'll send postcards and be here in New York for the important moments," Lily said. "Marshall and I are getting a house in Long Island and I'm gonna open a gallery."  
"Challenge accepted!" Barney and Robin both said, hi-fiving each other.

2016

_(Barney and Robin are in China. They wake up like they did in Argentina, hearing the sound of a baby crying. Barney finds an orphan girl on the doorstep of their hotel room. It's clear that whoever left the baby mistook the hotel for an orphanage.)_

"Can we keep her?" Barney asked.

Although Robin said yes, it took her longer to get used to the idea of being a mom. Cousin Ellie became the apple of Barney's eye and even though he still worked as an online dating consultant, he started a new blog about fatherhood and the wonders of raising a child while travelling internationally for a year. Soccer moms everywhere swooned. Ellie travelled to more countries in one year than most military brats. It wasn't until Robin got an offer that let her stay in New York a year later, reporting on national news from behind a news desk, that the reality of being a mother finally hit her.

2017

_(Robin and Barney's apartment. The two of them are putting Ellie to sleep. It's also the anniversary of Ellie's adoption.) _

"I tell ya, Robin," Barney said, "your new job is gonna be legen...wait for it..."

Robin shook her head. "I thought we didn't have to wait for-"

"DARY!" a cute little voice said.

(Robin and Barney gasp and look down at Ellie. Robin gives Ellie the tiniest but cutest of hi-fives.)

And that's how Robin learned how to love being a mother.

2018  
_  
(It's the opening of Lily's gallery called "My Five Year Old Can Do That"- a series of modern art actually created by kids mixed with Lily's own artworks.)_

"I am so happy that our little Tara has a new playmate," Lily said.

_(She looks to Tara, who is playing patty-cake with Ellie) _

"Not that Penny isn't great, though, but she's really bonding with Daisy and Luke was just born a few months ago, no offense."

_(Penny is 3 years old and is close to Tara and Ellie, making her own art with Daisy.)_

"None taken," the Mother said, holding Luke in her arms. "Where's Marshall?"  
"He's in New York, finally settling into his new judgeship. If I knew there was a judgeship waiting in Long Island, we would've left our apartment sooner."

_(Cut to Marshall, Barney, and Robin playing a major prank on Marshall's former corporate law firm.)_

But none of this could've happened if it wasn't for the fact that on that rainy day, I decided to look at a clock.

_(Ted is sitting by himself, reading.)_

"My watch must be slow or something," Ted said. "And my phone is dead. Maybe the clock-"

_(He looks to the clock at the end of the station. The Mother is standing under the clock, holding a very familiar yellow umbrella. Ted walks to her.) _

"Excuse me," Ted said, "I think this is my umbrella."

"What?" the cute brunette asked.

"You're Cindy's ex-roommate, right? I left this umbrella at her place. You totally stole my umbrella."

"What? No, I didn't. This is my umbrella."

"Excuse me, it even has my initials right here, T.M. Ted Mosby.'

"Yeah? Look again, Ted Mosby. Those are _my_ initials, T.M. Tracy McConnell."

(Cut to 2030)

"And that, kids, is the story of how I met your mother."

"Jeez, Dad, it's about time!" Penny said.

"That felt like 9 years!" Luke said.

"You basically wasted our whole spring break talking about an endless parade of sluts you banged!" Penny said.

"And you didn't even tell us where the pineapple came from!"

"Oh that? Trudy got that from someone she met in Santa Barbara, some kind of psychic detective."

"But honestly Dad, why are you telling us this? It's not like Mom's dead."

"What else can I do?" Ted asked. "Your mom's been going through chemo for the last six years. I want to prepare you guys in case the worst happens. You're lucky that the money from my architecture firm and your mother's articles on improving economic policies are paying off her medical bills or else you might not go to college soon."

_(There's a knock on the door.)_

"I wonder who that could be?" Ted said.

_(Tracy walkes in with a scarf wrapped around her head and a huge smile on her face.)_

"Hi, honey, I'm home!"

"Tracy!" Ted said.

_(He wraps her up in a tight hug and kisses her.)_

"What the damn hell?" Penny and Luke asked.

"The doctor said that I am basically cleared. No symptoms, no returning problems, and most of all, no more chemo!" Tracy said.

_(Penny and Luke rejoice and the four of them hug each other.)_

"But that's not the only surprise I brought with me."

_(Outside of Ted's house are Lily, Marshall, Robin, and Barney with their kids. Robin is holding the blue French horn in her hands.)_

"Party at Maclaren's!" Barney shouted. "Suit up!"

_(And for once, Ted did suit up. The twelve of them headed out to Maclaren's.)_

"Hey Carl!" Tracy said. "How's the family?"

"Teaching my little boy how to tend bar," Carl said.

"Can you do me a favor?" Tracey held a camera in her hands and gave it to Carl. "Take a picture of all of us."

"Sure. Anything for my best customers."

_(The twelve of them gathered at the booth and huddled together.) _

"Say Legendary!" Ellie said.

The six adults laughed while the other kids shook their heads. Everyone cried out "Legendary!" as Carl took his picture.

_(Cut to a montage of pictures from years later, set to a longer version of the show's intro. Lily creates an art camp. Marshall becomes a permanent judge on the New York State Supreme Court. Tracey and Ted are at their children's weddings. Robin and Barney retire from their jobs at 50-something and take Ellie travelling after she graduates high school. The last shot is of a photo album that Tracy put together. She and Ted are grandparents. They close the album, which has a yellow umbrella on the cover, and the song ends.)_

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